Youth gang activity on county’s radar

Published 5:23 pm, Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Montgomery County law enforcement, juvenile justice officials and social service agencies are forming a task force to battle the potential spread of criminal gang culture among youths.

The Youth Gang Taskforce is intended to compile, share and report on intelligence related to youth-oriented criminal gangs and juvenile gang members in Montgomery County, according to a release from the County Attorney’s Office.

The County Attorney’s Office prosecutes juveniles and will be the central agency for compiling and maintaining data from other members of the task force. While an official with the County Attorney’s Office said the county is seeing more signs of gang activity than normal, no data was available on the number of gang-related crimes or fights reported to law enforcement agencies.

The task force will be working with schools in Montgomery County to promote gang awareness and gang prevention programs.

According to the release, representatives from numerous law enforcement agencies will participate in the task force. The Conroe Independent School District Police Department will serve as the lead law enforcement agency for the Youth Gang Taskforce, according to Chief William Harness.

“By sharing information with other departments and agencies, we can know who the players are and stay a step ahead of any potential problems.” Harness said.

He said that although youth gang-related crime has not been a major issue, the Youth Gang Taskforce will be instrumental in analyzing potential problem areas and ensuring that law enforcement and the community stay on top of the issue by sharing information.

In the mid-1990s, there was a similar gang task force in Montgomery County that was successful in curtailing youth gang crime. Harness said the new Youth Gang Taskforce will be better prepared than the previous one.

“It was harder to share information in the ’90s,” Harness said. “There was a lack of the kinds of connected databases we have today. The state has also made the laws for sharing information between departments and communities easier. That’s the benefit of knowing the history and wanting to be ahead of any potential problems,” Harness said.

Marc Brumberger, a local juvenile prosecutor, called the main goals of the task force “broad.”

“We want to deter gang activity, and part of that is identifying who is participating in it and where it’s happening.” Brumberger said.

He said the task force will be looking at a number of gang identifiers in determining the scope of the gang problem.

“Some kids will simply claim gang affiliation; we also look for tattoo symbols,” Brumberger said. “Parents and school officials can also let us know what colors can be affiliated with gangs.”

He said it’s not uncommon for youths to post on social networking sites about gang activity, including photos displaying gang signs.

The task force will work to prevent and deter youth gang culture as well as rehabilitate juveniles involved in gang activity.

The county currently does not have a dedicated gang rehabilitation program, Brumberger said. Such a program could help juveniles get on a different track in life, he said.

The task force doesn’t necessarily have a dedicated budget at the moment, but Brumberger said resources available through the juvenile prosecution division can be used.

The task force initially will focus on identifying trends and patterns contributing to youth-oriented gang culture, and with this information move toward a solution, Brumberger said.

“We’re waiting to see how the program evolves,” he said. “But everyone is on board.”